Cooked foods often render fats, oils, liquids, juices, and other substances. For some foods, these rendered substances are desirable and can add to the flavor of the food or can be collected for other purposes. For other foods, it is preferable for these rendered substances to be moved away from the food while cooking. This can avoid a steaming effect and uneven cooking and encourages browning or a crisping of the outside surface. For example, meats cooked in rendered substances will often have a moist exterior, which can be desirable in some instances. If a crisp or browned exterior is preferred, the juices and other rendered substances should be moved away from the surface of the meat.
There are devices intended to raise meats or other foods above or away from the surface of a cooking pan to encourage even browning or crisping on all sides of the food. For example, there are several types of pans or trays with raised areas on which food can be place and that can be used in microwave oven to provide crisping or even cooking of foods. These devices are often made of non-metal materials and have limited weight capacity. They are usually made of materials intended to absorb the rendered substances, to be discarded along with the device. Other devices capable of supporting large food or meat products are often rigid, heavy, formed or molded devices intended to be used in conventional ovens or on barbeque pits or grills. These rigid, formed devices often have a myriad of ridges or creases that can be difficult to clean. The rigidity of the devices can also limit use to certain sizes of pans or trays. Storage of such devices can also be difficult as they may not stack or nest with other pans or trays and require extra space.